Her comments were made after her ministry turned over 1.5 million documents about Ornge to the public accounts committee, more than 100 boxes in all, but only 19 e-mails.

The government adopted new rules this month to preserve e-mails after the privacy commissioner found government computers had been illegally cleansed of e-mails about the costly moving of two gas plants.

Asked if e-mails about Orange had been deleted last year during the height of controversy there, Matthews said that was possible then -- but no longer.

“We have a new protocol,” she told QMI Agency. “The protocols are different (now).”

That’s not the only thing that’s changed. Ornge is expanding its pilot pool by five to better cover holes in service that result from vacancies or absences, officials say.

For much if not all of the month of June, Ornge has been short seven pilots, leaving 73 pilots to cover what was supposed to be a complement of 80. While six pilots have been hired since, they won’t be full trained and ready to fly on their own until mid-July.

Ornge will boost the compliment to 80 pilots, “to deal with vacancies and absences,” an official said.

That sort of detail was not provided by Matthews when earlier in the day she responded to accusations by Tory critic Frank Klees of a cover-up. A Matthews’ spokesperson e-mailed a statement to media writing, “Ornge currently has 79 helicopter pilots on staff, of the original desired complement of 80 helicopter pilots.”

Her office didn’t mention six of the pilots on staff can’t fly because they’re new hires being trained in a process that can take up to six weeks.

It was an absence of e-mails that prompted Klees to unload Thursday on governing Liberals: “We are witnessing a cover-up of unprecedented proportions. The Liberals continue to hide documents that will shed light on the truth behind the scandal at Ornge, provide answers to taxpayers and help us ensure the provincial air ambulance system is fit for purpose,” he said.

Matthews’ office gave 19 e-mails about Ornge in response to a Freedom of Information Request, he said.

Matthews dismissed his claims as political grandstanding meant to link Ornge to the controversy over deleted e-mails about the gas plants.